The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-06-25

Nny iHlOFDdtiOn from NcDStclSS OU~
abridged Dictionary. We must adapt
the food to the recipient. The teacher
constitutes the lexicon at this period.
and should deal ont all intelligenco
called for and satisfy herself that each
new word has the proper significance
in the mind Of the pupil.
The reading-books are ahridgements
OF that mammoth book reposing on the
teachers desk which the favored few.
ON state occasions, are allowed to In
spect. and which seems utterly unin-
telligible to the little ones. The pupil
goes step by step from the teachers
tutelary to the reading book, and /
think if the work has been thorough
and the pupil has a definite idea of the
word-pictures i'm the first and second
readers there will then be no difficulty
In explaining the method OF ascertain-
ing needful knowledge from the diction~
airy proper.
After the pupil Is once initiated. lay
equal stress upon the three important
points, definitions, pronunciation and
spelling.
photography is quite apt to assert its
predominance especially in country
schools, and this is an evil we should
guard against. For this reason say
definitions first. What advancement
has pupil made when he or she can
name in proper succession number OF
characters that represent an idea, ii
there is no idea represented to them?
A practice OF inestimable value Is that
of using each word to be spelled in
sentence. 1t Is better than definition
learned by rote. as it necessltates
thought on the part of the pupil. An
other way requiring freq,nt recurrence
to the dictionary is. to have q portion
Of the reading lesson rewritten, using
synonyms, and this exercise will be
found productive OF good results. Oc-
casionally select a few words and have
the antonyms given. This will greatly
enlarge the vocabulary Of words Mt
command, and will prepare for the
adorning Of future generations what
| is Of rare occurrence nova fluent con-
versationaljst.
The main question in reading Is. not
how much we can read, but how thor
oughly have we digestcd what has
been read.
The world Is oyerrun with readers OF
a certain type. They have voracious
appetites and can name books by the
score which they have .'devoured, !"
as they express 1t; rather say
"skimmed," for it amounts to little
more than superficial cleaning OF
few .glaring facts, which they can air
before an appreciatiye audience and
make the impression OF being intellect
ual tY).
| Teachers are In great measure TO
blame for this army of book -locusts.
The children are allowed to remain un-
der the impression that good reading
consists in glibly calling words,
with the infection, designated by
the ptnctuaticn marks, properly renss
dered, and the dictionary is per-
mitted TO blush unseen while they
gallop on, blind to any obstacles, In the
mad race to get through tie book.
They succeed-in getting through it,
and are greatly surprised to think the
next teacher, who perhaps Is not Of tho
same opinion as her predecessor, sug-
gests a review.
/ had a little experience Of this sort.
and had my feathers considerably ruf-
fled by one OF these partially developed
intellectual phenomena. She had
read in the Fifth Reader for several
consecutive terms; there being no Sixth
in tho series OF books i'm use, her career
was fortunately stopped before she be-
came one OF those reading machines
VIII Cartons farmer supposed the ed
itors used. Supplementary reading was
considered an unnecessary luxury bv
the patrons of the school, and as I
thought it hardly probable from her ap-
pearance, that she was ready to grad
uate i'm the much abused art, proposed
that she review her redoubtable Fifth
and CLEAN the fields already so thor
oughly t?l harvested. / opened the book
at random, and requested her to read g
paragraph. The theme was SPRING
and it was ably dealt with at the handa
of Paulding. She began in self-con-
fdent way and brayeIy accomplished
her allotted task. Her speed was truly
marvellous. When through. she looked
up as much as to say II guess you do
not doubt nv ability now She was
fright. fairly trembled before such n
burst Of eloquence- A. torrent Of
words. ImeekIy asked her to close her
book and give in her own language q
few thoughts contained in the pane-
gyric on spring she had just favored ma
i with. | was rewarded by q stare Evil
IDENTIFY / had not touched responsive
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